Thursday, May 26, 2011

I have been waiting a LONG time to throw my baby sister a BABY shower! I am so excited to meet my new niece or nephew, I can hardly stand it. My sister and her sweet husband are not going to find out the baby's sex until the big day! I think it's fabulous that they're going to be surprised....though I did find it quite difficult to select a theme for the shower. Sooo, the theme was B-A-B-Y! I wanted it to be simple, bright, and cheery! I had grand plans for an outdoor event.....huge balloons tied to the chairs, a whimsical feel as you walked outside.....you know what I mean, right?! Well, Mother Nature had a different plan and decided to "shower" us with hail, thunder and rain (mind you, I live in "sunny" California and the shower was in May). Oh well! It was still a beautiful day for my beautiful sister! Thank you to ALL of you (you know who you are) who helped make this shower easy, breezy!

Here are the invitations that I designed for the shower....I also did the large round return address labels (my current favorite way to seal an envelope) and coordinating thank you notes. You can find them HERE at our online shop. We also have a complete printable set to match the invitations as well.

We did a yummy dessert table with photos of the mommy and daddy-to-be when THEY were babies! I was thrilled to find Summer Olivias on Etsy, and they were able to make the stand up wooden letters in patterns that matched the invitation! It's hard not to notice the huge white balloons as the backdrop....they are a current favorite of mine! They are so fun and festive.....you can find them in a variety of colors and patterns on Ziggosand they have the best prices I have seen online!

Pleasanton Rentalsdid a great job putting together the whole look for us from tables, linens and chairs, to chargers, plates and flatware! I also loved the polka dotted straws in their lovely glasses!

I can't get enough of the cookies from Whip It Good Cookies! Not only do they taste amazing, but Erin is a true artist with EACH cookie! Evey cookie was adorable, but look at the one in the center....it matches the invitation PERFECTLY!

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

I had the pleasure of helping with this adorable first birthday party, where we used the theme "Party Like A Rock Star"....it could not have been a more perfect theme for this birthday boy! I used theseRock Star Photo Invitations, and the colors could easily be changed for a girl or older child. I loved the "Fan Club" return address labels! The birthday boy's rockin' mama knows how to throw a party, and I loved helping her with the printables to coordinate with the invitation and tie everything together!

Thursday, May 19, 2011

I saw these online and had to share them.....ice cream parlor parties are SO popular right now, and I loved these ideas.....they could be used for an ice cream sundae party or ANY party. Check out these amazing treats and recipes from Bakers Royale!

A few notes:

Advance preparation: The banana cream custard filling can be prepared a day in advance. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface and refrigerate. The cupcake can be prepared two days in advance and refrigerated in tightly sealed container. The frosting can be prepared five days in advance and kept refrigerated. Bring the frosting to room temperature and beat for two minutes for frosting consistency. The chocolate sauce can be prepared a week in advance and reheated in the microwave to dipping consistency.

I used a large round tip for the first frosting layer for an easy chocolate dipping and non-pareil rimming. For the remaining frosting I used a large closed star tip.

Place chocolate in a shallow bowl for easy dipping and work near a microwave to reheat as needed.

1. In a bowl, add both flours and whisk to combine; set aside. In another bowl cream the butter on medium speed until smooth. Gradually add the sugar and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition; set aside. In another bowl add milk, banana puree, and vanilla extract whisk to combine.

2. Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the milk, banana and vanilla mixture. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not over beat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well combined. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Cool the cupcakes in tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

Banana Cream Custard Filling

1 ½ bananas

1 cup milk

1 cup heavy cream

¼ cup corn starch

½ cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla

¼ kosher salt

Instructions:

1. Place all ingredients in food processor bowl or blender and process to combine. Pour mixture into a saucepan over medium heat and cook until mixture starts to bubble, making sure to constantly whisk. Continue to cook mixture until it thickens, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

1. To stuff the cupcakes: Create a well in the center of the cupcake using either apple corer, the large end of cupcake tip or carve a well using a paring knife. Fill well with banana cream custard filling.

2. To frost the cupcakes: Fill a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip and start piping from the outside working your way to the center to create one even layer. Freeze cupcakes for 20 minutes before dipping in warm chocolate sauce, so that the buttercream frosting does not melt. Remove cupcakes and dip in warm chocolate sauce, and then rim with non pareils. Return cupcakes to freezer for five minutes for chocolate to set. Remove from freezer and finish piping frosting on top and garnish with a Maraschino cherry.

Funfetti Cheesecake Pops ~ That’s funfetti inside and out! It’s fun, it’s colorful, it’s funfetti cheesecake pops dipped in white chocolate with a chocolate pour and finished with nonpareils and jimmies, topping all that goodness off is a red M&M for good cheer.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

I love it when personalization or customization is an option when shopping for anything....it makes things SO much more fun to give and receive! Leslie Nash Designs is one of those shops that is a dream come true for shoppers like me! You can come to her with a theme or idea, and she'll bring it to life on a shirt, onesie, tote bag, or anything else you can come up with! She offers a wide variety of products, with lots of great gift ideas! I love her shirts and onesies for party attire, as she can match them to your party theme and even add your child's name or monogram!

Leslie Nash lives in San Ramon, California with her husband, 3 year old son, and dog. In addition to relishing her roles as mother and wife, Leslie takes pride in her job as a second grade teacher second, and loves spending her free time crafting things from her imagination.

Leslie Nash Designs came about earlier this year with the encouragement and support of her family and friends who saw the things she was designing and creating for showers and parties as well as for presents and things for her home. Whether it be for a new baby, a birthday, an anniversary, a wedding, or simply a just because, Leslie takes any opportunity to be creative.

At Leslie Nash Designs , you will find unique children’s apparel and accessories, one of a kind tote bags, custom prints and paper goods, and more. Leslie work s closely with you to ensure that your gift is exactly what you imaged it to be .

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

I always love seeing photos of parties using cute decorations from Paperbox Press! A sweet customer of ours sent these adorable photos of her son's first birthday party! LOVE the theme being with the number "1", polka dots, stripes (my two favorite design accents!) and fun colors! We designed some of the party printables that were used to accessorize this first birthday bash and coordinated them to match with some of the items she already had for the party!